


the wayward's son

by maxelau



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Comedy, Coming of Age, Falling In Love, Feels, Jeno-centric, Lee Jeno is Whipped, M/M, Teen Romance, idk how to tag this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23628697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxelau/pseuds/maxelau
Summary: Jeno's final year in high school changes when he joins a band called The Wayward's Son and falls in love with the frontman, Haechan.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	the wayward's son

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I wanted to try a different writing style, a bit more YA-ish and well since the setting is in high school might as well do it through this rockband au. enjoy!
> 
> here's the playlist for this fic: [ the wayward's son playlist ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2UcgMKDhhlEVLxOTTOsFVexUX_Q5O0sW)

**1 - The End.**

When he finally clasped the case shut, Jeno inhaled shakily and tried to fight the tears that were welling up in his eyes. Then, he watched his drum kit being rolled out of their living room and into the moving truck. In the background, he could hear his mother yelling something incoherently. Jeno couldn’t quite catch it but he did saw his father jogging past him while muttering a prayer under his breath.

Jeno sighed and took a swift glance at the movers who were packing the remains of their living room stuff. They swiftly wrapped everything and placed them gently into gray plastic boxes that had the moving company’s name printed in white ink. He closed his eyes and decided not to think much about what was unfolding in his life. The change was too fast. Life has literally thrown him off guard and now he has no idea where he laid in the middle of everything.

\---

“We’re moving in a week,” she said with a tone that didn’t allow any retaliation or rejection or any sort of disagreement. It was final. Jeno, no matter how hard he would try to beg his mother, even if meant kneeling in front of her and kissing her fuzzy pink slippers, the deal was already locked and the course of his future suddenly took a huge turn. Jeno’s eyes immediately darted to his father who was reading the newspaper. He was a quiet man, didn’t quite enjoyed the noisy and rambunctious life the city had to offer but he also hated any sort of change. Jeno’s father stuck to whatever routine he got used to, which was basically waking up, coffee, work, reading and then sleep. Jeno knew quite well his dad was on his side. 

“Dad,” he muttered and sat beside him on the breakfast bar. His father didn’t even move an inch when Jeno patted his leg to get his attention. 

“Listen to your mother,” he said firmly, eyes still trained on the paper he was reading. Jeno stood frozen on his seat unable to process what he just heard. His father, a man who literally screamed at Jeno for simply changing one fraction of his schedule was agreeing with this sudden change, _what the actual fuck?_

“W-what?”

“You heard the man,” his mother said and placed the plate of weirdly shaped pancakes in front of him. The pancakes did not look an ounce the same as the one on the television. These were simply a splatter of fried batter, literally. The pancakes were towered haphazardly that one shake on the table, they would be toppling down. His mom was never really a good cook, nor his dad. His father simply placed the newspaper down, grabbed the bottle of maple syrup and a slab of butter and proceeded to devour his own plate, no questions asked. In all honestly, no one really was a great cook in their family, everything was mediocre. It was a tragedy he had to live with. 

“What did Irene think about this? Surely she disagreed,” Jeno agonized while he shoveled a piece of his own share of the meal in his mouth. His last resort was his eldest sister. Sadly, she didn’t live with them anymore. After getting herself scouted by one of the country’s biggest entertainment companies, she did not hesitate and immediately took the chance. Now, she was an idol. Despite her sudden rocket to fame and her group’s success for the past three years, his family doesn’t really talk about her job. Not that they hated it, the celebrity life was still a bit foreign to their family. 

“She was pleased,” his mother replied and the disappointment that Jeno has been fighting to keep at bay has finally surfaced—he frowned. “Oh don’t be so sad darling. We’ll be moving to your grandmother’s home.” 

Jeno’s frowned deepened even more. “You mean in the middle of nowhere?” 

As much as he loved his grandmother, she was a sweetheart, the softest and warmest person Jeno has ever met, he had plans for his final year in high school. He was supposed to perform one last time with his band, well soon-to-be ex-band, since all of the guys were too busy with university and Doyoung was preparing for medical school, Jaehyun finally got a modeling gig, and Jungwoo was a sophomore engineering student—he downed more coffee than alcohol and barely slept. The only one who was really keeping the band alive was Jeno and Lucas. Lucas, who took a year gap and was simply bored with the free time he has on his hands; and there’s Jeno, who was still stuck in high school with an unhealthy obsession with cereal and his drum kit. 

His mother bit her lip, her eyes searching his face, and she took a shaky breath and finally said, “She has dementia and your Aunt Mina, her health’s declining dear, she could barely watch over her kids and now your grandmother.” 

Jeno mirrored his mother. He bit his lip and tasted the coppery blood. He was biting too hard, it was a habit he got from her when he got nervous and scared. Jeno glanced at his father. The newspaper was finally on the side, he rested his elbows on the counter and buried his forehead on his palms. “Jeno, please” he muttered. Aunt Mina was the youngest in his father’s family and recently, she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. It took a toll on him. There were times when he would drive six hours just to visit her on the weekends. They were tight-knit because they were closer in age, while their eldest brother was in the West and he could barely come home for Christmas or any holiday. It was up to them to help around.

Jeno slumped back on the chair, his hand hovered on his phone that was inside his pocket. It was an unconscious action he would do when he was stressed out at home, then he would end up calling Doyoung or Lucas. But right now, it seemed too much to call his best friends. 

He took a peek at his mother, she was still watching him. She had on an expression that made him realized that there was really no room for negotiations. He swallowed his voice and shoved all of the reasons that could ruin his final year in the back of his mind. Hopefully, in the end, he could come in terms with it. Alone. In his room, with his earphones after finding a ridiculously sad Spotify playlist. Then, he would probably cry while he slowly removes his band posters and pokemon stickers from the walls he grew up seeing. 

“Okay,” Jeno gulped. His mother’s eyes widened she looked unsure of what she just heard. “Really darling? That’s great!” She pulled him into a hug. “That was easier than I thought.”

His father looked up from his plate and gave him a heavy pat on the back. There was a small smile on his wrinkled face. _Everything will be okay_ , he thought to himself. _Things will work out,_ he nodded. 

“I’ll make it work,” he muttered to himself.

* * *

**2 - Runaways**

The first time Jeno met Donghyuck was at the school’s parking lot. 

He was scrambling to find a parking space because everything else was filled, even the ones that are at the farthest. Jeno cursed under his breath, he was stressed out, nervous, and very _very_ late. It was his first day of senior year, in a small unfamiliar town, with people he has never met in his entire life. This was enough to get him running on nerves and sweaty palms. His mother even added to the anxiety he had. She made sure Jeno did not leave without gobbling the breakfast she prepared for him. This wasn’t the Hollywood movie Jeno expected his life would be, where he could simply get up from his bed, run down the stairs, drink a glass of juice, and grab a piece of stale bread while his mother laid a whole course meal in front of him. Nope, she grabbed him by his hoodie and made him agonizingly sit for the next fifteen minutes. 

And now, he was in his car with the gas still running, he didn’t try to think about how much gas he’s wasting—the money he’s losing, the world he’s destroying. It was his first day and being late will probably not be a good impression for his new teachers and classmates. 

He circled the perimeter. Not a single spot was available. For the past five minutes, he has been scanning the area until he found an empty spot, at the very edge of the lot, where the asphalt ends and where a dozen of trees stood triumphantly while they swayed with the wind and dropped sticky blossoms everywhere. 

With his seventy-fifth sigh for the day and it was barely 8:30 am, Jeno ripped his keys out of his ignition, got out of his car, hauled his backpack into his shoulder and closed the door. Only, he didn’t see a huge rock, almost the size of a soccer ball that was in front of him before tripping and falling face-first on the ground. He spent the next few seconds questioning the universe, his life, and his fate. Jeno was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason but now? He’s pretty sure fate or whatever eternal being was out there was fucking with him.

“That must’ve hurt.”

Jeno snapped out of his daze and searched for the stranger’s voice. It was a man’s, a teenager’s to be precise. He gathered all of his senses and tried to stand up. 

Once again he heard someone speak, “Up here dude.” When he did so, Jeno saw a guy, about his age sitting on one of the tree’s branches with a cigarette hanging in his mouth. He was grungy, in a very “90’s rock band” look, he wore a leather jacket that hugged his figure perfectly as if it was tailored for him and it had random patches of color and symbols sewn on it. His hair was a chocolate brown shade but with blond streaks here and there. He was the type of kid you did not want to meet on your first day in school. The cigarette he was puffing was enough of a warning that he wasn’t to be messed with, especially if he was doing it on school grounds as if he owned the place.

Nevertheless, Jeno could not help but describe the stranger as beautiful. His sun-kissed skin glistened under the sun and his eyes sparkled mischievously. 

“Alright there?” the guy asked. Jeno nodded unconsciously while he sat on the floor. He watched the stranger jump down from the tree. The guy clicked his tongue, threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with the sole of his worn-out black converse. He held his hand out and Jeno hesitantly grabbed on to it. When Jeno was finally pulled out of his misery, the guy stared at him from head-to-toe and then cocked an eyebrow. 

“You new here?” 

“Yeah,” Jeno replied while he patted the dust off his jeans and the hem of his black hoodie. 

“Donghyuck,” the stranger said out of nowhere. Jeno looked at him confusingly, unsure if that was his name or someone else’s. 

“I’m Jeno.”

“Jeno,” the stranger, Donghyuck hummed with interest. For some reason, Jeno found it pleasing to hear his name rolling out of Donghyuck’s tongue. “That’s a unique name.” Donghyuck shot him a smirk and started walking towards the school building. Unsure of what to do, Jeno followed suit. 

“Are you a freshman?” Donghyuck asked, “Because you sure as hell don’t look like one.” The redbrick school building loomed ahead of them and it looked quite intimidating. It was three stories tall with a huge clock in the middle of it. The lot stretched on with freshly trimmed grass and sprinklers. 

Jeno laughed, “No. I’m a senior. I just moved here. Family stuff and all.” He stopped himself from spouting too much information. He just met the guy and telling him his situation wasn't quite ideal.

Donghyuck hummed once again and nodded his head in understanding. “We don’t get new kids here often. You’re like the only one after six years,” Donghyuck explained while he opened the school’s glass door. For a school located in a small town with a small number of residence, their campus was huge. It was big enough to fit half of his previous school in Seoul. 

_Great_. Now, he’ll be sticking out like a sore thumb. He was the _new_ kid. The only good thing to this is that he was currently a blank slate, no one knew who he was or what he was capable of. All they knew was that he's kid hailing from the big city. 

When they entered the hallway Jeno felt lost. The halls were empty and so was the information booth. He already has his schedule written down on his phone but he still has no idea where he should go. He shifted his gaze towards Donghyuck who was busy typing on his phone and walking straight without even looking ahead of him. It did look like he owned the place. He was walking as if he spent his whole life there. 

Jeno decided maybe it was best to ask Donghyuck where his homeroom class was because he was the only person whom he has spoken to and didn’t even judge him when he face-planted into the floor. But before Jeno could get Donghyuck’s attention, he was already conversing with someone else. The other guy, who was definitely taller than Donghyuck, had pink bubblegum hair and was wearing an equally bright pink sweater, skinny jeans, and white sneakers. What was interesting about the two of them was that their styles were the complete opposites. But, that wasn’t the only thing that piqued Jeno’s fascination, it was the guitar that was slung around the pink guy’s shoulders. The sight of it made Jeno miss his life back in the main city. It also reminded him of Lucas who he hasn’t spoken to in a week since Jeno’s sudden move into the suburbs. 

After a few more laughs, the pink guy decided it was time to say goodbye and he disappeared into one of the classrooms. Donghyuck turned around and faced Jeno. 

“So, where’s your homeroom new guy?” 

Jeno tried to rack his brain to remember who his homeroom teacher was. 

“Mr. Baek? I think,” Jeno answered unsurely. Donghyuck beamed, “Awesome! You’re with me.” Donghyuck started walking again but this time he picked up his pace and powered through the empty hallway. Jeno bit his lip. _Great, now everyone was already in class._

When Donghyuck finally stopped in front of a classroom door, he looked at Jeno with those same mischievous glinting eyes from earlier, and said to himself, “This is it! Senior year!” He opened the doors with a bang and simultaneously a sea of unfamiliar faces looked at Donghyuck and Jeno. Some, simply rolled their eyes, as if they were used to the guy’s theatrics, some snickered, while others continued with their doings when they saw it was only him. 

“You’re late Mr. Lee,” Mr. Baek said with an exhausted tone. “Sorry Mr. B, Jeno was lost and I showed him the way.” Jeno hid behind Donghyuck and avoided meeting eyes with his new classmates. Mr. Baek, a man who looked more like an older brother than their supposed homeroom teacher raised an eyebrow at Donghyuck and replied, “I’ll let you pass today but tomorrow’s a different story Donghyuck.” 

Donghyuck simply smiled and sauntered off to his seat—Jeno was not informed they already had their seats. 

Mr. Baek approached Jeno with a soft smile. Self-conscious, Jeno clasped his hands and tipped a nod “Good morning sir.”

“Good morning Jeno. Welcome,” the teacher touched the small of his back and Jeno managed a smile. “You can take that seat,” Mr. Baek pointed at the far back of the classroom. “We’re still talking about house rules but you’re welcome to ask any of your concerns.”

Once seated, Jeno took a deep shaky breath and scanned the classroom. There were far more students than he expected, it was almost the same back at home, except for the fact that he doesn’t recognize anyone and that some of them were still staring at him. 

He opted to look down at the floor until he caught sight of Donghyuck, at his far-right, near the window laughing heavily that he almost flipped his chair over. He was talking to another guy, compared to the pink one from earlier, this one knew how to look _good-good_. The "I'm rich and stylish" kind of good. He wore a pair of khaki pants, a white cotton shirt tucked under it and a beige blazer. His skin was supple, with no signs of any blemishes or pimple scars. If Jeno looked closely, he could see a hint of shimmering gloss on the guy’s lips. He even had silver hair that shone nicely even with the classroom lights. _What is with this school and their extravagant choices for hair dye?_ Jeno mused to himself. Consciously, he ruffled his black hair. There were a lot of times when Doyoung wanted him to dye his hair blonde but he declined multiple times because he saw how damaging and frustrating it was, especially if your sister was an idol who probably had a rainbow for hair color. 

Donghyuck suddenly inched closer to his friend and whispered something. The other guy started giggling and Jeno could not help but watch the way Donghyuck’s lips curl upward into a more genuine smile. Suddenly, Donghyuck felt a pair of eyes on him because he looked up and smirked at Jeno. 

Once again, Jeno bit his lip and looked away. He also prayed that his cheeks weren’t turning red but maybe it was too late for that because he can still feel Donghyuck’s mischievous eyes on him.

\---

For his first few days of senior year, Jeno’s life was pretty uneventful. After class he would go home, watch over his grandmother and his little cousins, then his aunt would prepare dinner, slowly the family would start pilling up for dinner and when that’s done, he would crawl up to his bedroom—new bedroom, pick his guitar, strum on it or clean his drums. Sadly, he wasn’t allowed to play his drums after dinner. So, he was left to play video games or do his homework while his cousins watched Peppa Pig for the 127th time.

"Do you think I can be like Peppa Pig?" Jihyo asked him one night while he accompanied them in the living room. He was reading for his literature class and wasn't paying attention to the show. So when Jihyo asked the ridiculous question, he was tongue-tied, unable to answer. Who wanted to be an annoying pig with a British accent? The accent he could understand, while the other thing? Well, it would be easier if she wanted to be Elsa because he would've answered with a hard yes, but Peppa Pig, Jeno had trust issues with the pig.

Jihyo looked at him with those big curious eyes, her ponytail was crooked but it made her even cuter. In the background, Jeno could hear Sohyun talking to one of her friends on her phone. Maybe a twelve-year-old would understand the sentiments of a six-year-old. He tried to look for her and ask for help but she was nowhere to be found. In the end, he simply said, "I don't know Jihyo. Maybe you'll find out when you get older."

Jihyo simply pouted, "You suck. I don't want to get old."

Jeno wanted to argue back that that's not how life works—

"Because mom would be better and she won't leave us and so will grandma," she continued. Jeno's unable to answer. Her innocent words pierced through his heart. He simply nodded and patted her black hair and said, "I know, kid."

Jeno has a new friend, one that wasn’t Lee Donghyuck.

For the first couple of days, Donghyuck was either late, not in a class, or when Jeno arrives he would be asleep. According to Yangyang, Jeno’s seatmate and newfound friend, Donghyuck was a mysterious entity. No one likes him or hates him. He was friends with everyone and at the same time not. He aced some tests or failed them. The teachers were neutral about him unless he breaks any rules—smoking in the boy’s room or sneaking alcohol within the school perimeter. 

“The guy knows how to put life into a room full of dead souls. He’s literally the sun,” Yangyang explained while he devoured his lunch meal. Jeno wasn’t looking at him, instead, his eyes were trained on Donghyuck who sat a few feet away from them. He was with a bunch of people, a peculiar crowd that mixed in more than a few cliques—the geeks, the nerds, the jocks, they all sat around him and laughing with him. Not at him, but with him, like he was their source of energy. Jeno then concluded, if the sun was turned into a human it would be him. Despite his grunge aesthetic— leather jacket and this time a pair of boots, he was still so bright. It was hard to look at him. Jeno has become conscious of his staring tendencies when it comes to Donghyuck, but Jeno can’t help but be drawn to him like a child is to a field of fireflies.

* * *

**3 - the wayward’s son**

Friday came pulling in like any other mundane day. It was lunch break and Yangyang had to meet up with his girlfriend, so Jeno decided it was best to look around the campus for a while. See if he could pinpoint where each room is and familiarize himself with the structure. Then, he remembered from his earlier orientation, he was the only one so the principal simply conducted it in his office, that a music club existed. He wasn’t sure about the underground high school rock bands in his new school, but a music club is better than not playing any instrument at all. 

On his way to one of the music classrooms, he spotted an interesting flier pinned on one of the corkboards in the hallway. A disfigured piano and drum were haphazardly drawn in a blank paper. The drawings were accompanied by a cell number, the name _Haechan_ , and the words **DRUMMER AND PIANIST WANTED** in thick red ink. The poster looked like a classic toddler’s attempt in writing and art. But, Jeno gave in to the sudden thrill of excitement he felt. It has been such a long time since he was in a band. His old one, Neo City, officially broke up through a group chat that was dusting in his messages, and he’ll take any chances he can get just to play again. This weirdly drawn poster might his ticket to add more color to his stale life. 

He immediately fished for his phone and texted the number. 

_Things will get better._

\---

Jeno can’t help but feel like he’s being judged just for standing. He cocked his head to the right to look confident but he felt more like an idiot than someone who exuded cockiness. The music room they were in was pretty small and dark. The lights blinked every five minutes and the only thing that gave life to the room where the different instruments that littered across it. In the far corner, a black grand piano stood untouched. The drum kit, on the other hand, was covered with an old battered flowery curtain. But, that wasn’t the only thing that caught Jeno’s attention because sitting one of the tables was no other than Lee Donghyuck. And like their first meeting, a cigarette was in between his lips, surprisingly it was lit and its ambered ashes would light up every time he would take a drag. 

He wasn’t wearing his usual leather jacket, this time it was a black plaid button-up and a Beatles shirt, his jeans were ripped, and his converse was unlaced. 

“Aren’t you on the basketball team?” one of his companions asked. It was the pink-haired guy, the one who had a guitar case the other day. The guitar, now out of its case was a red electric one. He strummed while looking at Jeno with curious but narrowed eyes. The way he expertly glided his fingers across the neck of the guitar was that of a lead guitarist. His pink sweater was replaced by a white oversized shirt. It made him look small but Jeno could tell they both had the same height. 

Jeno took a glance at Donghyuck but he was simply quiet, sitting pretty and waiting for everything to unfold. 

“Shut up Jaemin. He’s the new kid,” another friend of Donghyuck chortled in. His silver hair shone despite the dimmed room. He was still wearing designer clothes that probably cost more than most of the instruments in this room. The rich kid was the only one who looked trustworthy and who could be reasoned with. 

“I’m Renjun,” he continued. Jeno nodded in acknowledgment. But he still didn’t speak.

“You can’t be auditioning for the keyboard with those arms,” silver-haired, Renjun pointed out. Jeno was wearing a black sleeveless top and now he somehow felt conscious of his body. His arms were bulky because banging on those drums was a whole workout itself. He didn’t need to run to the gym and drink protein shakes, his hobby got him covered. 

“Definitely a drummer,” Jisung, a sophomore he shares a class with muttered. On his lap was a battered black bass guitar. 

“So, it was you,” there was a slight marvel in his voice.

This time, it was Donghyuck who spoke. He slipped off the table and walked towards Jeno. The cigarette still sat between his lips and the smoke still scattered out of the edge. Jeno glimpsed at the ceiling and saw the water sprinklers and the smoke detectors but they weren’t reacting, so were his friends. Either the detector was busted or it was something else.

“I was surprised, someone texted me, willing to audition for the band. We’ve been looking for a drummer replacement for months since Xiaojun graduated and that poster was simply wishful thinking but here you are,” he shared. There was a smile on his face. He looked so pleased with himself. 

Then suddenly, it dawned on Jeno, “You’re Haechan? But isn’t your name Donghyuck?” 

Donghyuck or Haechan laughed, his head tipping backward while his bandmates watched with amusement. “Oh darling, I am both.” 

Jaemin finally stood up from his chair and swung his guitar to his side. “Don’t listen to him, Haechan is his stage name. It’s for theatrics, Mr. Donghyuck loves the idea of an alternative persona on the stage.” He brushed past Jeno and headed for the several amps that were behind him. Jaemin plugged in his electric guitar and the crashing sound of an untuned note pierced their ears but no one flinched. 

“As if Nana wasn’t a bad idea,” Renjun pipped. He also stood up and grabbed one of the guitars that were propped against the wall. _Rhythm guitarist._

“Nana was a choice I made when I was fifteen Renjun,” Jaemin remarked. He was now fiddling with the strings of his guitar. He was tuning it. _Wait_ , were they already preparing for practice? Jeno hasn’t performed in front of them to prove himself, but at the same time, him awkwardly standing there didn’t seem to bother the band. 

“Jeno,” Donghyuck said to get his attention. He gestured towards the covered drumkit and Jeno shuffled shyly towards it. 

“Oh loosen up new kid, we’re not going to bite you,” Renjun smiled. He now stood beside Jaemin who was standing cooly with his guitar on his hip. Jisung did the same preparation as well, and out of nowhere, he suddenly played a beat. Jaemin licked his lips and followed through and so did Renjun. They were already playing a soft rock tune, but despite their effortless teamwork, they lacked something, a drummer.

Forgetting everything, Jeno lifted the curtain off of the drum kit and grabbed the stick Donghyuck handed him. He sat on the chair and matched Jisung’s beat. Slowly, they started finding each other’s pace and Jeno finally let loose. He listened closely to the notes Jaemin was playing, he was trying to figure out what song he was playing but right now it seemed like they were just winging it and scrambling to find each other in the mess of notes and tunes.

  
  


Jeno looked up from the drum kit, his eyes were being covered by his now messy bangs but his gaze met with Donghyuck’s. He was watching him intently that it once again made Jeno conscious of his action, but he pushed through and ignored it. Before looking back at his guitar, he wasn’t sure if it was merely a figment of his imagination but he saw Donghyuck lick his lips.

Jeno gulped. Definitely just his imagination.

When Jaemin slammed a final wonky tune with his guitar and did a ridiculous metalhead scream, Renjun simply rolled his eyes and shimmied out of his guitar strap. Jisung was too lost in the music that he did not notice that the band has stopped playing. 

A full smile was plastered on Jeno’s face. He didn’t notice it but the adrenaline rush and the soreness of his arms made him high with serotonin. He missed this, he truly did, and maybe joining Donghyuck’s peculiar band was a nice change of pace. The guy was the vocalist, sure he didn’t grab the mic and started singing since they were just playing with each other. 

Jeno exhaled loudly, eyes wide open and his heartbeat ringing loudly in his ears. “What just happened?”

Donghyuck was still looking at him, eyes boring into Jeno’s but he prompted to ignore it and shuffled towards his bag to grab a napkin in order to wipe his sweat off. He was probably just studying him, assessing him if he fits the group. _It was just that._

Jaemin rolled his eyes and strummed a tune in his guitar, “We’re trying to see if you could keep up with us.” 

Renjun slapped the lead guitarist’s arm and with a beaming smile towards Jeno, “With those arms, he’s a sure win.”

“That’s up to Donghyuck to decide,” Jisung said tipping his head towards Donghyuck’s sitting figure. The guy was still deep in thought, eyes still following Jeno’s every move. It was sending shivers down Jeno’s spine. He felt embarrassed and unsure at the same time. Is he in or not? And what is with excessive staring?

“It’s Haechan,” Donghyuck corrected Jisung and he finally tore his eyes off Jeno and stood up from his seat. Jisung simply cracked his knuckles and played with the base of his bass guitar, ignoring Haechan—Donghyuck, Jeno wasn’t quite sure what to call him right now. 

Jaemin puckered his lips and rolled his eyes, “Fine, Haechan. Go on, grab the mic. Gotta get those vocals warm-up for tonight.”

Jeno blinked, “For tonight?” Maybe they were going to continue to practice tonight since it was still lunch break. A bubble of uncertainty started to pool inside of Jeno’s stomach. This day could go sideways in a blink of an eye and Jeno was uncertain how he will handle it.

They all looked at Donghyuck expectedly, Jeno was not sure what they wanted from him but the band stood quiet, waiting for Donghyuck to finish fumbling with the microphone’s cord. When he was done, patted Jeno on the “You’re in Lee Jeno! Make the Wayward’s Son proud.”

Jeno gaped. “The what? Wait what’s happening tonight?” He stood up from the drum kit and towered over Donghyuck who was simply beaming at him. _Great!_ He was in. _Things will get better_ , but right now, there was a catch to this.

“The Wayward’s Son dummy. It’s the name of the band. Get it, you know, Kansas the band, Carry On Wayward Son, the song” Renjun said. 

Jeno frowned, “I know.”

Donghyuck clapped his hands, “Good! We’ll be performing tonight.” and _there it is, there’s the catch._

“Tonight?!” Jeno half-screamed. His face paled and he started biting his lip once again. He wasn’t prepared. He just got here, he was initiated twenty seconds ago. He was out of tune with the band despite their successful session. _Fuck,_ he didn’t even know what they’re planning to perform, cover songs or original? What if it’s a song he was unfamiliar with?

“Yes at Hyunjin’s house,” Jisung answered. He was now wiping his bass with a cloth. When Jeno doesn’t reply, Jaemin took the reign.

“Hyunjin’s throwing a party for the start of senior year and he wanted the band to play.”

“I- I’m not sure I can go,” Jeno whispered. It was a Friday night and his parents were a little more lenient with his gigs if it’s on weekends but he needs to check if he has no babysitting duties for the meantime.

“What?” Renjun asked, well he asked for everybody. They were all now looking at him, Jaemin with a raised eyebrow, Jisung with a tired look and Donghyuck with sparkling eyes. Maybe, he can find a way to practice the songs before tonight? He wished. 

“Fine,” Jeno answered instead. 

Donghyuck’s megawatt smile widened, “Then, are you ready Lee Jeno?” 

* * *

**5 - Carry On Wayward Son**

Lee Donghyuck was born to be on the stage. The moment the curtains dropped and Jaemin flicked his wrist to a certain tune, and Jeno started slowly banging on his set, Donghyuck, _no_ , Haechcan was in the zone. He grabbed the mic, stared it with much intensity and let his lips glide through it. The microphone was like his long lost lover and when his voice started belting to the higher notes and his eyes shut close and the instruments all blend harmoniously with his voice, it was a symphony of feelings Jeno has never felt before, or maybe he hasn’t felt in a long time. It reminded him of Doyoung when he used to sing with the same passion for his unrequited love, but instead of staring into the crowd, Doyoung would look at Jaehyun helplessly.

Jeno could not help but stare at how Haechan’s mouth muttered each syllable and how his jugular moved to every note. He watched a single bead of sweat drop from his forehead to the tip of his nose and finally to his lips. At the same time, Haechan turned his back against the crown and sauntered towards Jeno. His hips swinging to the beat of the music and his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Haechan bit his lip, winked and then twirled away. After doing so, he started to hip thrust sensually into the air, if this was a normal occasion and not some performance, he would look ridiculous, but his actions were a hit. It made the growing crowd scream enthusiastically. Thank God, Jeno’s drumming muscle memory was working because he can’t fuck things up right now, not especially when it’s his first gig with the band. Not when Haechan was an absolute killer on stage.

Haechan’s energy was too much to handle. It was affecting him both negatively and positively. Positively, because he’s pumped to perform confidently; negatively because the guy was really hot and despite no matter how hard Jeno tried to push his ridiculous attraction away, he was helplessly into Haechan, probably tipping closer to how Doyoung felt for Jaehyun. It was also not a good idea to fall for a guy whom you just met and barely spoken to. It was also not a good idea to realize that you're crushing on one of your future good friends while both of you are performing in front of a crowd.

When the song was about to end, Haechan was dramatically lying on the stage. He sang the last lines of the song while Renjun adlibbed in the side. He then stood up looked at the crowd and when the final word was finally tumbling out of his mouth he went out of tune and Jaemin looked at him with a face of sheer panic. 

The curtains closed and the stage lights slowly dimmed out. Jeno shakily lowered his arms and felt the sweat trickle down his back and on his face. He was breathing heavily and so were they all. This was the first time in a long time he felt like he was on cloud-nine, chasing his dreams, and simply living for the purpose of music. It was incredible.

But not all good things last.

Donghyuck kneeled in front of the mic stand and was breathing much heavier than the rest of them. Jaemin immediately ran to his side after slowly placing his guitar down on the ground. Renjun and Jisung followed suit.

"I'm fine," Donghyuck exhaled, waving one of his hand at them. Jeno stood up from his seat to take a better look. Donghyuck looked far from fine. He was sweating profusely and he was slightly shaking. His hair was damp and his face was paler than usual. Out of nowhere, Hyunjin, the host of the party, was on the stage too, he was smiling from ear-to-ear but as quickly as he came did a frown form on his face. He was holding a bunch of water bottles and when he saw what was happening he sprinted towards the scene. "What's going on?" He asked while he offered Donghuyck a bottle.

Jaemin shook his head, unable to answer. "What's going on?" Jeno echoed. This time Jaemin shot him a menacing look, "Listen here new guy, why don't you stay put and shut up for a moment." Jeno raised his hand in defense. He was just as concerned as any of them.

"Stop it Jaemin," Donghyuck croaked after drinking half of the bottle's content. He stood up with the help of Jisung and Renjun but started pushing them off when he finally gathered his strength. He looked worn out, but there was still the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I saw him," he continued, eyes trained on Jeno.

Jeno stood rooted in the same spot, clueless. Jaemin cursed under his breath when he heard what Donghyuck said. On the other hand, Renjun simply sighed and rolled his eyes. Jeno observed everyone, his gaze shifting from each band member. He was trying to see if any of them looked agitated or ready to pounce if he ever so ask Donghyuck a question. Jaemin still looked like a stick was shoved up his ass, Renjun seemed fine, and Jisung was as clueless as Jeno was. 

So, without any hesitation, Jeno asked, "Who did he see?" 

Donghyuck chuckled and Jaemin was seething, but this time not at Jeno but at something or someone else. Renjun gave a pointed look at Jeno but he didn't quite catch it. 

Nevertheless, Donghyuck smirked, "My ex-boyfriend." 

And maybe something pierced through Jeno's tiny heart. It wasn't jealousy, it was dread. How powerful was this ex-boyfriend for Donghyuck to tumble down after a performance and look like he was about to die? This was some ex-boyfriend Jeno did not want to mess with. Maybe it was better to withdraw his feelings while he was still in the earlier stage of his stupid crush. But when he saw Donghyuck laughing, his head tipping backward, his whole body happily shaking and his eyes glinting with the same mischievousness, he was reminded of his passionate performance earlier. It was like Donghyuck was doing a ritual, not just singing, it looked like he was offering his self to the music gods, and it was just damn too beautiful.

Lee Donghyuck was beautiful.

And Jeno could not help it. He was absolutely smitten.

**Author's Note:**

> this will be five chapters at most or three at least :) i hope you enjoyed the first chapter! 
> 
> talk to me on [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/jenofullsun)


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